HarleyTechTalk

Technical Forums => Audio and Electronics => Topic started by: tdgriff on September 21, 2016, 02:12:50 PM

Title: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 21, 2016, 02:12:50 PM
Well I blow the fuse all the time it  knocks out my taillight and my gauges . I use the lighter and that's it . I can't figure it out at all .  Any advice would be nice thank you in advance
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: UltraNutZ on September 21, 2016, 02:18:49 PM
Checked the obvious stuff tdgriff such as wiring in the fairing for something that might be rubbed through?  Maybe just a bad cig lighter receptacle.   Overloading cig lighter circuit?
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: moose on September 22, 2016, 04:10:09 AM
They are cheep enough just replace it with a new one


after you blew it did you wipe your lips   :idunno:
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 22, 2016, 04:04:47 PM
Quote from: moose on September 22, 2016, 04:10:09 AM
They are cheep enough just replace it with a new one


after you blew it did you wipe your lips   :idunno:
. Lol  indeed I did
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 22, 2016, 04:06:57 PM
Quote from: UltraNutZ on September 21, 2016, 02:18:49 PM
Checked the obvious stuff tdgriff such as wiring in the fairing for something that might be rubbed through?  Maybe just a bad cig lighter receptacle.   Overloading cig lighter circuit?
I checked all that , I installed a new cigarette lighter receptacle and lighter . I just can't figure it out. I am thinking of running it straight  to the battery?
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: moscooter on September 22, 2016, 04:13:36 PM
 :pop:
I'd recommend an in line fuse if you go straight to the battery. :potstir:
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: moose on September 22, 2016, 05:02:18 PM
check do you have the right size fuse   if you have a 15 try going up to 20 see what happens then
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 22, 2016, 05:16:41 PM
Quote from: moose on September 22, 2016, 05:02:18 PM
check do you have the right size fuse   if you have a 15 try going up to 20 see what happens then
i did go to a 20 same thing . Thanks for the help.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 22, 2016, 05:17:37 PM
Quote from: moscooter on September 22, 2016, 04:13:36 PM
:pop:
I'd recommend an in line fuse if you go straight to the battery. :potstir:
I have one in my garage was thinking the same thing. Thanks
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Coyote on September 22, 2016, 06:17:54 PM
You need to fix your short problem, not wire it to the battery.  The obvious first thing to do is just replace the lighter socket with a new one. I know others that had these go bad.  One guy even had a small metal bit in the socket that would move around and occasionally short and blow the fuse.

Added, you can get these sockets almost anywhere, not just HD
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Pirsch Fire Wagon on September 22, 2016, 07:24:45 PM
Quote from: Coyote on September 22, 2016, 06:17:54 PM
You need to fix your short problem, not wire it to the battery.  The obvious first thing to do is just replace the lighter socket with a new one. I know others that had these go bad.  One guy even had a small metal bit in the socket that would move around and occasionally short and blow the fuse.

Added, you can get these sockets almost anywhere, not just HD

http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/Smileys/classic/iagree.gif (http://harleytechtalk.com/htt/Smileys/classic/iagree.gif)   +1

Find the Short. Wiring a Cigarette Lighter doesn't correct the issue.

The thing about electrical issues is they are opposite of Mechanical Issues.

Electrical = long time to diagnose, short time to repair.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Durwood on September 23, 2016, 10:36:47 AM
Be sure the lighter used matches the receptacle.

I was on a road trip and lost the HD lighter and stopped in an auto parts store to get one, plugged it in and popped the fuse.

I went and got one from an HD dealer and all is well.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 23, 2016, 11:11:00 AM
Thank for the advice. This is my 2nd socket and lighter and the problem still  exists . I will have to do more digging.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Coyote on September 23, 2016, 12:24:54 PM
Keep in mind that you are dealing with the ACCY circuit ( O/W wire) and it goes to numerous things. The problem may have nothing to do with the cig socket.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 24, 2016, 05:21:26 AM
Quote from: Coyote on September 23, 2016, 12:24:54 PM
Keep in mind that you are dealing with the ACCY circuit ( O/W wire) and it goes to numerous things. The problem may have nothing to do with the cig socket.
ok that makes  sense  . I  Will open up the fearing again and have a look . Thanks for all the feedback.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: moose on September 24, 2016, 11:22:08 AM
You could do what one of the auto techs did on an older car use aluminum foil instead of a fuse

by the way
the car burned to the ground but the lighter worked
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on September 25, 2016, 01:20:26 PM
 :hyst:
Quote from: moose on September 24, 2016, 11:22:08 AM
You could do what one of the auto techs did on an older car use aluminum foil instead of a fuse

by the way
the car burned to the ground but the lighter worked
:hyst:
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on October 09, 2016, 01:50:37 PM
Well I took off outer faring and no bad wiring. So I took a chance and  switched the wires on the cigarette lighter. Maybe I hooked him up Ron when I change the inner fairing.  Not blowing fuses anymore
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Hossamania on October 09, 2016, 02:27:04 PM
So hot was going to ground? That will cause an issue...  We like simple fixes, even self induced ones.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: Coyote on October 09, 2016, 02:55:52 PM
Pretty sure you could hook the cig lighter socket up either way and not blow a fuse,, just using the lighter.  So did you just reverse the wires or actually check and make sure they were or are now correct?  The O/W should connect to the center pin and the ground to the shell.

I'd sure want to know. If you ever plug anything else in there and it's backwards, it may not work out so well if it's now wrong.
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: moscooter on October 09, 2016, 05:04:27 PM
 :banghead:

This thread reminds me of when I was in my 20s and worked at a Chevy dealership "prepping" new cars for delivery.  We installed a lot of accessories like Power steering/power brakes/back up lits/ and lots of radios.

GM radios were all "negative" ground.  The wire to the radio was already there......whether you ordered a radio or not.  We would lay upside down under the dash and after removing the plate where the radio goes into the dash,  first we installed the speaker,  then we installed the radio and hooked it up and then also drilled a hole in the fender to install the antenna.

On one new Chevy,  the damn radio once installed would NOT play.  We took it out and tried it on the work bench with a spare battery and it worked just fine.

As it turned out,  we discovered that some "clown" at the factory...........swapped out the battery leads.  Consequentely,  the damn car was now "positive" ground and the radio would not work.   Car started OK,  but obviously the radio would not work.

So we swapped out the battery cables as they should have been all along and then zapped the voltage regulator with a jumper wire to re-phase the generator.   Can't recall what they called that procedure.  But all was well and the radio now worked as it should. :emoGroan:
Title: Re: Blowing my cigarette lighter fuse
Post by: tdgriff on October 10, 2016, 06:53:34 AM
Quote from: Coyote on October 09, 2016, 02:55:52 PM
Pretty sure you could hook the cig lighter socket up either way and not blow a fuse,, just using the lighter.  So did you just reverse the wires or actually check and make sure they were or are now correct?  The O/W should connect to the center pin and the ground to the shell.

I'd sure want to know. If you ever plug anything else in there and it's backwards, it may not work out so well if it's now wrong.
I checked all the wires all in good shape. After I switch the wires the lighter actually started to pop out on it's own when it got hot. I hope all is well took it out for a few hrs and had no problems. My phone charger works as well.